It is known that certain acrylate and urethane coating materials can be cured thermally or by radiation in the presence of a free-radical photoinitiator but that they do not lend themselves to cationically induced polymerization. It is well recognized that thermal curing is not cost efficient and that radiation curing in free-radical systems is oxygen inhibited, thus requiring an inert atmosphere or the minimizing affect of a hydrogen donating component. However, the presence of a hydrogen donating component is not completely satisfactory since such components significantly reduce the rate of reaction. Also, it has been found that polymerization or curing in free radical systems ceases almost immediately upon removal from the source of radiation; thus, the cured product often contains significant amounts of unpolymerized components. Accordingly, it is an aim of research to develop monomers or oligomers which provide stable formulations with the above polymerizable materials while incorporating their beneficial properties in the finished product. Additionally, it is desirable that such monomers or their oligomers be amenable to radiation curing at a rapid rate under mild temperature conditions by cationically induced polymerization which is not oxygen inhibited and which permits continued polymerization after removal from the source of radiation exposure. Further, it would be beneficial if the monomer or oligomer, when used as a diluent for such polymerizable materials, would be capable of minimizing undesirable properties of certain coating materials, such as the acrylate monomers which are known skin irritants.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above deficiencies and to provide polypropenyl ethers which are readily polymerizable to thermally stable compounds having superior coating properties and which provide films having good adhesion and high resistance to chemical attack.
Another object of this invention is to provide an economical and commercially feasible process for preparing the polypropenyl ethers of this invention.
Still another object is to provide coatings and finishes for adhesion resistant surfaces such as metal and glass, which coatings are not subject to coloration or extended periods of use.
These and many other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and disclosure.